On this 4th of July, you’ll probably finish the holiday with some fireworks. Big, explosive, fun and pretty to watch. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense should aim to look like that in 2024. For several seasons, they’ve been anything but. The equivalent of a sparkler. Dull, lame, something to distract the kids while you crush another beer because America.
In an era where success is defined by how many big plays and points offenses can put up, the Steelers have lagged. Since the NFL moved to its 17-game season, Pittsburgh has consistently finished near the basement, only ahead of truly the league’s most putrid offenses. From 2021 to 2023, here’s the number of explosive plays from scrimmage, defined as gains of 20-plus yards, the Steelers have and their rank across the NFL.
Steelers Explosive Plays, 2021-2023
| Year | Explosive Plays | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 55 | 26th |
| 2022 | 52 | T-26th |
| 2021 | 50 | T-25th |
At least they’re consistent? Pittsburgh’s been between 50 and 55 explosive plays three years running, finishing 25th or 26th every season. They haven’t finished higher than 20th since 2018, when their offense hummed, and they finished eighth with 72 explosive plays.
The Steelers may want to be ground and pound under Arthur Smith, but they’ll still need to find ways to chew up yards in a hurry. Long, sustaining drives without elite quarterback play will prove difficult. A penalty, defensive stuff, dropped pass, or sack is enough to stall out a drive. Flipping the field with a big play is critical to stealing points. Rarely will you find a successful offense that can’t rack up chunks of yards. Last year, four of the top-five units in this category finished top five in scoring offense. Three of the bottom five finished in the bottom five of scoring offense. The correlation and causation are obvious.
For Pittsburgh, this can come with the run and pass game. Jaylen Warren is explosive and a threat to take the ball to the house. His 74-yard touchdown run against Cleveland last season was the Steelers’ longest touchdown run in nearly two decades. A sound blocking scheme where everyone gets involved, including receivers, will produce explosive plays. If Smith can pair that with play-action and creative scheme to get players open downfield and over the middle for YAC chances, these numbers will shoot up.
Trying to manufacture yards and points one blade of grass at a time is a hard road. It’s playing in the NFL, already exceedingly difficult, on Hard Mode. You need that 50-yard play that doesn’t require picking up four third-down conversions along the way. The Steelers haven’t gotten that. They’ve plodded along, brick by brick, with a model that doesn’t work well in 2024.
To the Steelers’ offense, get your 4th of July on this September. Shine bright. Be loud. Be explosive. Wow the crowd. At least more than they have. A sparkler-based offense doesn’t get the job done in this league.
